This spring’s up-and-down temperatures have been hard to dress for, but they’ve provided some really good conditions for maple syrup makers. This week, you can get out and enjoy the fruits of their labour at dozens of sugar bushes across our region during Maple Syrup Weekend. You can also check out opening weekend at the Brockville Railway Tunnel, catch a play in Perth, shop for vintage items in Ottawa or Kingston, or see really big trucks in Montreal. Happy road tripping!
Enjoy maple syrup across Eastern Ontario
Flickr/Creative Commons photo by snowpea&bokchoi.
The Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association is holding its annual Maple Weekend on April 6 and 7. It features special events at sugar bushes, including lots in Eastern Ontario. For instance, Grants Settlement Farms in Foresters Falls will be serving up maple s’mores, offering a “maple trivia walk” and selling maple-flavoured baked goodies (you can even buy the equipment to make your own maple syrup, if you’re keen!). A quick glance through the list of other participating farms on the Maple Weekend website includes spots in Chesterville, Vankleek Hill, Moose Creek, Clayton, Almonte, Frankville, Sharbot Lake, Pembroke and many more.
Also this week, the Sugar Festival at the Vanier Museopark (April 2 to 7) gives you the chance to visit an urban sugar shack, but that’s just the beginning of the fun. There will also be performances by a wide range of musicians (including Indigenous singers and folk musicians), storytelling, a pancake breakfast, a craft fair, a lumberjack competition and more.
See a funny play in Perth
It seems like a great idea for a family to return to their ancestral homestead in Scotland…until they discover that an obstinate ghost is still living there and has no interest in moving out. That’s the premise of Hamish, the latest production at the Studio Theatre in Perth (April 4 to 14).
Enjoy Will’s Jams Live in Orleans
Here’s a road trip for the little ones: Will’s Jams Live will appeal to fans of the popular CBC Kids TV series. Will Stroet and his band will be live on stage at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans at 10am on Saturday, April 6, encouraging kids to sing along to pop, rock and blues tunes celebrating everything from hockey to healthy eating.
Eat your way around Prince Edward County
Food lovers, start your engines: this weekend marks the beginning of Spring Countylicious (April 5 to 28), a celebration of good food in Prince Edward County. The 13 participating restaurants are offering prix fixe dinner menus (usually for $40 per person, excluding gratuities), and various inns and B&Bs have deals, too.
Take a studio tour in Pakenham
This weekend, you can enjoy art, crafts, food and heritage locations on the Pakenham Maple Run Tour (April 6 and 7). As well as meeting the artists and shopping for paintings, pottery, birdhouses, photography, jewellery, clothing, soaps, candles, honey and more, you can taste locally produced fudge, solar-roasted coffee, craft beer and maple products. There will also be free tours of St. Peter Celestine Church both days at 1:30pm (donations appreciated). The Maple Run Tour website provides details on all 33 tour participants, 10 tour venues, food stops and special events, along with a map of tour locations in and around Pakenham.
Shop ’til you drop in Carleton Place
Carleton Place Town Hall, and the bridge over the Mississippi River that gives Bridge Street its name.
Carleton Place is going to be hopping this weekend! It starts off with the Carleton Place Spring Home and Fashion Show at the Carleton Place Arena (April 5 to 7), featuring more than 100 vendors spread across two floors, as well as live entertainment, demonstrations and more. For lovers of all things vintage, there’s the Antiques and Collectibles Show at the Carambeck Community Centre at 351 Bridge Street on Saturday, April 6. Admission is free, but donations to the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum are gratefully accepted. And if you make a weekend of it (or come back a couple of times throughout April), you could enter the Spring Into Carleton Place shopping contest, which runs throughout April. To enter, you need to get a ballot, then shop at three local stores and dine at three local restaurants by the end of the month. There are lots of prizes, including a stay at the Grand Hotel.
Raise money for a bird observatory in Ottawa
The Innis Point Bird Observatory is holding a fundraising dinner and silent auction at the Marconi Centre in Ottawa on Thursday, April 4. The evening will include presentations about local birds and nature excursions.
Check out opening day at the Brockville Railway Tunnel
Photo of the Brockville Railway Tunnel by Laura Byrne Paquet.
The Brockville Railway Tunnel—Canada’s oldest such structure, finished in 1860—is reopening for the season on Saturday, April 6, with a new light show and accompanying soundtrack. Admission is free.
Cheer racers at a snowmobile race in Calabogie
Snowmobilers, here’s one for you: The Calabogie 500 hill drag race roars into the Calabogie Peaks Resort on April 6.
Hear Baroque music in Cornwall
As part of the Cornwall Concert Series, Ensemble La Cigale takes to the stage of the Aultsville Theatre in Cornwall on Saturday, April 6, for a concert of Baroque music from Celtic countries played on period instruments. Check out the video above; it might be the most peaceful thing you hear all day!
See an exhibition in Vankleek Hill
This is your last weekend to see Roots to Crown: Discovering Connection, an exhibition of photography by artist Reenie Marx at the Arbor Gallery in Vankleek Hill. It closes on Sunday, April 7.
Hike by a waterfall in the Outaouais
The Chutes de Plaisance (Plaisance Falls) open to the public this year on Saturday, April 6, in Plaisance, Quebec. In April, the scenic site is open on weekends only, and the website advises visitors to bring their boots and, possibly, their snowshoes to explore the falls area pleasantly and safely.
Browse for vintage treasures in Ottawa or Kingston
Photo courtesy of the Ottawa Antique and Vintage Market.⠀
Vintage quilts, estate jewellery, Depression glass, 1950s prom dresses, Danish modern end tables, Persian rugs, old shoes…that’s just a sample of what you might (or might not) find at the Ottawa Antique and Vintage Market, which comes to the Fieldhouse at Carleton University this weekend (April 6 and 7). Like any antiques show, it’s a treasure hunt, with the best finds going to the most eagle-eyed shoppers.
Further afield, the Kingston Symphony Orchestra is hosting a big Nearly New Sale at its warehouse (April 4 to 7).
Update your spring wardrobe in Perth
Until April 12, the Crossroads Tea Room in Perth will be hosting a series of Champagne afternoon high tea fashion shows, each featuring the latest goodies from a particular Perth store. Check with the tea room or the participating shops for tickets.
Catch a baseball game in Syracuse
Syracuse’s Triple-A baseball team, recently rebranded as the Syracuse Mets, plays four games against the Pawtucket Red Sox from Thursday through Sunday during their season opening weekend. Promotions include $1 hot dogs and $2 beers in Thursday, and Kids Eat Free Day on Sunday.
Check out a home and leisure show in Cornwall
This weekend’s Spring Home and Leisure Show at the Cornwall Civic Complex is one of the largest such consumer shows in Eastern Ontario. It runs from April 5 to 7.
Watch for owls in Gatineau Park
Flickr/Creative Commons photo of a barred owl by Larry Smith.
The Friends of Gatineau Park are running an Owl Prowl in the park on Friday, April 5 (in English) and Saturday, April 6 (in French), led by an experienced birdwatcher. Listen for the distinctive hoots of owls in the forest, and learn about the different types of birds and their habits. Advance reservations are necessary.
Cheer for monster truckers in Montreal
Are you reeeeaddddy to see great big trucks? Then head to Olympic Stadium in Montreal for Monster Spectacular XXV on Saturday, April 6.
Shop for unique crafts in Ottawa
This weekend, shoppers will be heading to the EY Centre for Signatures Originals—The Spring Craft Sale (April 4 to 7). The immensely popular annual sale of handmade goods created by artisans from across Canada will include jewellery, shoes, purses, pottery, home decor items, clothing, candles and much more.
Get some laughs in Kingston
The Just for Laughs Road Show brings an international group of standup comics to the Grand Theatre in Kingston for one night only on Saturday, April 6.
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